T cells are critical in the regulation of all cell-mediated immune reactions. The antigen-specific interactions mediated by T cells and antigen-presenting cells determine the antigen specificity of the cellular immune responses. However, T cells also interact with other cells via lymphokines which they release following activation. Although the actions of lymphokines are antigen non-specific, they usually act with greatest effect on cells in the immediate vicinity of the active T cells. Thus lymphokines can act as mediators of antigen-specific immune reactions. Isolation and identification of lymphokines secreted by T cells are very important steps in the advancement of biomedical research.
Many of the advances in biomedical research come from the use of continuous culture of cells from different tissue origin. There is a need for a continuous human T cell line to permit the search for production of novel cytokines and to permit the screening of compounds to determine their effects on T cells.